Although salaries of NFL coaches is a secret for most of the year, NFL coaches salaries come into highlight when numerous sports magazines and Forbes come with their lists of highest paid NFL coaches.
We all have been worshipers of American football since our college days. For most of us, it has been a childhood dream to play in the NFL and we all love to spend our weekends enjoying some fantastic NFL matches. Being the highest level of professional American football, the NFL has become a cradle of success and glamor. The NFL salaries of 2010 were remarkably high for teams and players but not much was disclosed regarding the NFL coaches salaries. We all know the whopping amounts of money famous NFL players have made in their professional careers in NFL but ever wondered about NFL coach salaries? While Nick Saban, the University of Alabama college football coach, with a total salary of $5,997,349 was rated at the top of the highest paid college football coaches in 2011, it is indeed interesting to know what constitutes the salaries for these professionals.
An Overview
For NFL coaches, salaries is generally based on numerous factors and it is a career that demands extremely high levels of commitment and dedication. You win games, you’re in; you lose them, you’re out. Two most prominent factors in deciding their salaries has been the win record and experience. Most of the top level NFL coaches have high records of winning. Not only do they have graduate degrees in sports, they have also been football players in college and some have even played in the NFL teams. Besides this, many NFL coaches have decent work experience as college coaches before they begin to lead NFL teams. The National Football League (NFL) coaches are paid on contract basis and depending on the period of their contracts, there salaries are decided. NFL coaches salaries in 2011 have been between $2 to $2.5 mn, on an average. Understand that there are several designations in the NFL coaching profession. Generally, the head coaches command highest salaries while assistant coaches are paid relatively less. Similarly, there are offensive and defensive coordinators who’re also coaches, guiding players for defense and attack. Those coaches who’re in the first year of their coaching generally earn nearly $1 mn.
Earning Potential of Top 10 NFL Coaches
Make a note of the point that besides these salaries, NFL coaches, just like NFL player salaries have other sources of income through endorsements, advertisements, commercials and speaking engagements. In the Super Bowl 2011 finale held on Sunday, 6th February, the Green Bay Packers emerged as winners beating the Pittsburgh Steelers. The coach of Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin is amongst the top earning NFL coaches in 2011. This will surely help him command better salaries in the coming Super Bowl seasons (2012 and later) or when he will have to extend his contracts. Have a look at the table below to know more.
| Sr. No. | Head Coaches | Team | Salary* |
| 1 | Bill Belichick | New England Patriots | $7.50 million |
| 2 | Mike Shanahan | Washington Redskins | $7.00 million |
| 3 | Pete Carroll | Seattle Seahawks | $6.70 million |
| 4 | Jeff Fisher | Tennessee Titans | $5.75 million |
| 5 | Mike Tomlin | Pittsburgh Steelers | $5.75 million |
| 6 | Ken Whisenhunt | Arizona Cardinals | $5.75 million |
| 7 | Andy Reid | Philadelphia Eagles | $5.50 million |
| 8 | Tom Coughlin | New York Giants | $5.25 million |
| 9 | Jack Del Rio | Jacksonville Jaguars | $5.00 million |
| 10 | Lovie Smith | Chicago Bears | $4.80 million |
* approx. figures, just for reference purpose
NFL coaches salaries, as you can see are certainly eye popping. Remember, these are not the only income sources of these top NFL coaches. Besides these, there are compensations, endorsement monies and other avenues of making some money. The Super Bowl 2011 finale held on Sunday February 6, 2011 was just another remarkable end of a Super Bowl season. With Christina Aguilera forgetting words of the national anthem and Eminem’s musical roar, it was all a mix of fantastic performances and an excellent match. While NFL coaches salaries are extremely high, it must be understood that these coaches have to go through immense pressure during matches and in the NFL seasons. They’re some amazing personalities who’ve got the ability to motivate and ignite young sports players.
In the NFL season 2012, the salary is again going to depend on their past performances and the way they changed the fate of a team. But I’m sure by knowing how much these coaches make in the NFL matches, you can easily guess the commercial potential of this biggest sports in America. So, here’s awaiting for another rocking NFL season 2012. I’m all ready to cheer my favorites. You also pick your favorites for this season and start predicting the winners and losers. Enjoy!
